We have the privilege of bringing you some exclusive images and insider info behind the scenes of Disney Channel's newest animated series, Big City Greens. Normally, we just get to see the final product of a show when it hits the airwaves but are all too often disconnected from the original source material. For brothers/co-creators Chris and Shane Houghton, however, their inspiration is plain to see thanks to these throwback images from back when they were just kids themselves. If you can imagine what it would be like if your real-world childhood home, relatives, and questionable hairstyles were brought to life in an animated series, then you have a good idea of the ride you're in for when Big City Greens makes its debut.
The series premieres with a week of new episodes rolling out daily, Monday, June 18th – Friday, June 22nd, as part of Disney Channel’s GO! Summer. After the debut week, new episodes will premiere throughout the summer on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT. Coinciding with the series premiere, the DisneyNOW app will also unveil its first multi-player game “Big City Battle!", where players compete against each other to earn their place as members of the Green family.
The voice cast is Chris Houghton as Cricket Green, Artemis Pebdani as sweet Gramma Alice, Marieve Herington as quirky older sister Tilly Green and Bob Joles as hard-working father Bill Green.
The guest voice cast includes Emmy Award-winner Jon Hamm as store manager Louis; Emmy Award-nominated Raven-Symoné as news reporter Maria Media; GRAMMY Award-nominated Busta Rhymes as a wise fish; Danny Trejo as bodyguard Vasquez; Academy Award-winner Jim Rash as waiter Ted; Paul F. Tompkins and Lauren Lapkus as city hipsters Justin and Val; Andy Daly as Officer Keys; Scott Aukerman as a radio DJ; Griffin McElroy as a pepper merchant; Paul Scheer as supermarket manager Chip Whistler; Zeno Robinson as Cricket’s best friend, Remy; Lorraine Toussaint as Remy’s mom, Rashida; Colton Dunn as Remy’s dad; and Anna Akana as café barista, Gloria.
Check out the following pairings of the Houghtons' childhood pictures with images from their new show, along with insider trivia, to see how Big City Greens came to be!
Cricket Green is voiced by series creator and executive producer Chris Houghton and his haircut is inspired by the hairstyle that Chris had for many years as a child.
When Houghton was younger, he encouraged his classmates to call him "Cricket" but it didn't catch on.
Gramma Alice is based on Big City Greens creators/brothers Chris and Shane Houghton's real-life Grandmother, Alice. And just like in the series, she was a tough, but sweet lady.
The Green family dog, Phoenix, was inspired by creators/brothers Chris and Shane Houghton's childhood pet of the same name.
The Green family garage is based off the garage that Chris and Shane Houghton had as children.
Gramma's cat, Dirtbag, is modeled after creators/brothers Chris and Shane Houghton's childhood cat, Lucy.
Bill Green is named after creator/executive producer Chris Houghton's father-in-law and inspired by farmers he knew growing up in the small rural town of St. Johns, Michigan.
The Houghton brothers serve as executive producers alongside Emmy Award-winning Rob Renzetti (Gravity Falls), and Monica Ray (Harvey Beaks) and Natasha Kline (South Park) as directors. Big City Greens is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y7 parental guideline.
Big City Greens premieres Monday, June 18th on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD.
